Electrolytic process of and apparatus for producing compounds.



E, A. BYRNES. DOD.

A. ADMHHSTRA'IMX BLCTRLYTC PROCESS 0F AND APPARATUS EUR TRDGNG COM'ONUS,

Amzoirm ULEB JULY 25. 190.3 Hmmm@ s. ww,

1,102,209, @muted June 50, w14,

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UNrrED sTTEs PATENT OFFICE.

EUGENE A. BYRNES, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA; ALICE S. BYRNES ADMINISTRATRIX OF SAID EUGENE A. BYRNES, DECEASED.

ELECTROLYTIC PROCESS F AND APPARATUS FOR PBODUCING COMPOUNDS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 30, 191,1,

Application filed July 25, 15503, Serial No. 167.022. Renewed March 9, 1910. 'Serial No. 548,266.

T0 all lwhom it may conce/rn Be it knovn that I, EUGENE BrnNns, a citizen ot' the United States, residing,r at vfashington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in lllectrolytic- Processes of and A\pparatus for Producing Compounds, of which the following is a speeication.

This process and apparatus are especially designed for the electrolysisI of alkali metal salts and the production therefrom of the correslmnding hydroxids and acids.

ln carrying out the invention, both ions of the salt are combined at the electrodes, directly or indirectly, u'ith other substances, radicals, or ione` which are preferably deri'ved from the electrolysis of another compound. be eleetrolyzed and the sodium combined at the cathode with hydroxyl or oxygen produced by the electrolysis of water and the chlorin may be combined at the anode with hydrogen, also derived from water. This result may be eli'ected by passing an electric current successively through adjacent and alternate bodics of a solution ofthe salt to be decomposed andi water, under such conditions. that the cation of the salt may combine with the hydroxyl of the succeeding body ot' water, and the hydrogen of that body of water with the anion of the succeediner salt solution. In order that the positive and negative ions of the adjacent bodies of salt solution and water may thusbe combined. it is obvious that both of these ions should discharge upon a common electrode, serving: both as the cathode of one body of electrolyte and asthe anode of the other body ot' electrolyte, that is ay bipolar elec trede. This electrode should also be ofsueh a. character that the ions or the products due to their action upon the electrode may bel able to n'ieet and react upon each other, that is the electrode should be porous. Finally, in order that. the new product or products due to the combination of the .ions from the adjacent unlike electrolytes may be separately recovered, each electrode should be separated from each of the adjacent electroli`or example` sodium chlorid may.

lytes by a diaphragm and Sonie outlet provided for the product from the space bctw'een the diaphragms.. v

One appa 'atus whichsatisfics the specified Vconditions and by which the process may be carried out is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which: l

Figure 1 1s a vertical, longitudinal section through the electrolytic cell; Fig. 2 is a dia-` gram illustrating the reactions within the cell when the. ions' of the adjacent electrolytes are directly comhinedgiand Fig. 3 is a similar diagram illustrating the reactions when the ions are indirectly combined through the medium of asubstance capable of successive oxidation'and reduction by the anions and cations.

The cell shown in Fig. l comprises a series ol narrow, vertical compartments 1 2, 3, 4,

5, extending transversely across the. cell,

cach alternate compartment containing a body of the salt solution and the intermcdiate con'ipartments containing bodies of water, or other compound whose ions are. to be combined with those of the. salt. A\ body of an aqueous sodium ehlorid solut ion is shown in compartments 1, 3 and 5, and a body of vater in the intermediate compartments 2 and 4. Compartment l receives, the anode and compartment"5 the cathode 7, both connected to the external source, ot' electric current. etwcen each pair of coml'ial'tnients is a transverse., vertical electrodo,4 l0 or 1.1, shown as et wire gauze. Each tace of each electrode is separated from the.

at'ljoining electrolyte by a diaphragm S.

3. The electrolytic process ofproducing compounds, which consists in 'discharging ions of adjacent electrolytes upon an inten mediate electrode, combining the electrolytie products, separating the resulting compound from both electrolytes, andA washing out the compound from the cell, as set forth. 4. The elect-rolytic process of producing compounds, which consists in; discharging ions of adjacent electrolytes upon an intermediate'electrode, in thev presence of a sub-V sta-nce capable of oxidation bythev anion and reduction by the cation, combining the electrolytic L odticts', and separating the resulting coliipun'd from both electrolytes, as lset forth. f

5. The electrolytic process of producing compounds, which consists inl d1seharging .ions of adjacent electrolytes upon an intermediate ele., ode, in the presence of a substaneec'a' of oxidation by the anion and reduction" y. the cation; combining the electrolytic products, separating the resulting compound from both electrolytes, and removing the compound from the cell, as set forth.

6. TheV electrolytic process of producing compounds, which consists in discharging ions of adjacent Yelectrolytes upon an inter- ,mediate electrode, in the presence of a substance capable of oxidation by the anion and reduction by lthe cation, combining the electrolytic products, separating the ,resulting compound from. both electrolytes, and washing out the compound from the cell, as set forth.

7. The electrolytic process of producingr acids and alkalis, which consists in discharging the ions of alternate bodies of a 40 salt solution and water upon intermediate electrodes, combining the Vanion of the salt .and the cation of the `water to produce an acid, combining the cation ofthe salt and the anion of the water to ppduce an alkali,

15,15 and removing the resulting compounds from' the cell, as set forth. f f, p

8. The electrolytic process, which consists in siinultaneousl discharging ions upon an electrode and e ectrolyti'cally depolarizing Ythat electrode, as setV forth.

9. The process of depolarizing an electrede, which consists in electrolytl'cally sup- Vplying a depolarizer to the electrode, and removing the product of the reaction bc- ,55 tween the dcpolarizer and the ions of the electrolyte, as set forth.

i0. The process of depolarizing the electrodes ofen electrolytic cell, which consists in electrclytically and simultaneously supplying a depolarizer to two electrodes of different potential, as set forth. Y

11. The process of depolarizing the electrodes of an electrolytic cell, which consists in electrolytically and simultaneously'supplying a depolarizcr lo two electrodes'oi (li'llcrcnt potential, and removing the products of reaction from thc cclhas set forth.

12. The electrolytif,l process of producing compounds, Vwhich consists in inljcrposing a body cf an clcctrolj/,fte between two bodies` of another electrolyte or electrolytes, clcctrolyzing one electrolyte, and utilizing the elec# trolyiic products to cllcct decomposition of the other electrolyte or electrolytes, as set forth.

3. The electrolytic process of producing .coiupouinls, which consists in' interposing a `cell, as set forth.

l5. The electrolytlc process of producing acidsl and alkal s, which consists in interposiug an electrolyte comprising the co1nbingd acid and alkali between two bodies of water, elcctrolyzing one or more ot'sad bodies, combining the anion of the electrolyte and the cation of theA water to )ro'ducc an acid, combining the cation of t e elec-v trolyte and the anion of the water to produce an alkali, and removing the resulting compounds from the cell, as set forth.

i6. The electrolytic process of producing acids and allralis, which consists in interposing a body of water beovcn two electrolytes comprising the comlqned acid and alkali, electrolyzing one or more of said bodies, combining the anion of the electro-y lyle and the cation of the water to produce an acid, combining the cation of thc electrolyte and the anion of the Water to produce an alkali, and removing thc resulting compounds from the cell` as set forth.

17. An elcctrolytic cell, comprising end compartments containing electrodes, and a plurality of intermediate compartments separated from each other and from theend compartments by A)crous diaphragins.

18. An electrolytic cell, comprising a series of con'ipartments separated by dia-` phragms and bipolar electrodes, and an anode and cathode in the end compartments.

'1.9. An electrolytic' cell, comprising a series of compartments, permeable bipolar electrodes, between adjacent compartments,

an anode and cathode in the end compartphragms and an intermediate permeable biments; and means for isolating t-hfflleaetion polar electrode between adjacent compartproduots at said bipolar electrodes. ments, and an anode and Cathode in the end Q0. An electrolytm cell, comprising \a compartments. 15 .Uf-ries of compartments, a pil-1r of dm- In testimony whereof l aix my slgnature pliragms and an intermediate bipolanelecin presence of two Witnesses. trede between adjacent compartments, and T EY ,f LE A. BYRNE :m :mode und cathode 1n the end compart# l I G S ments. W itnesees:

2l. An elefftrolytic cell, comprising a C. A. NEALE, Series ofI compartments, a pair of dia- J. B. HILL. 

